S-tree sap, jerk seasoning, guava!! holy crap. There's a funk here that makes james brown play in my head

T-beautiful hop intensity that gives way to allspice, white grapefruit, with this cool stone fruit/apricot extract thing happening towards the end.. but the finish is dry, make no mistake. i like it. a LOT. I paired this with some sweet and idaho potato fries and the st alt brought out a lot of flavor, as salt tends to do to anything complex. am i getting hickory? or chicory?

m-smooth with a bit of bounce.

O-Wild and crazy kids! this gives me what i want, which is a beer of character and memorable notes while being fun. conundrums keep me coming back and this beer has them in spades. I'm so down for this cause. Keep it coming relic, we'll keep taking.

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Plain and simple, this beer is infected. Not "farmhouse," which is often used as a cover, but infected. Hops and acetic acid do not mix well, and only in a few cases does the funk of Brett work with hops. This, however, is not only Brett. There is a distinct Band-Aid, medicinal, chemical flavor that is flat-out disgusting. Frankly, all Relic offerings these days have this quality, but the highly malty offerings cover it better. In selections like this one and Thrice, the infection is detectable to the point of being vomit-worthy. I hope Relic gets their stuff together and learn to how clean properly. There is potential here that is getting obliterated by their obvious sanitation issues.

Pours a hazy bright yellow-gold into a Relic glass. Foamy white head. Takes a while to settle leaving some lace.

Rich citrus hop in the nose. Some light fruity esters from the yeast, maybe some berry notes.

Entry is immediately sharp, crisp, and dry. Picky effervescence is welcome, but leads to a more intense dryness on the center of the tongue to the back of the throat. Somewhat chalky. No resin detected. Not picking up a whole lot of malt balance. But it is not excessively hoppy in flavor, just wicked bitter. More like an amped up, solid pale ale.

Mouthfeel is dry, sharp and lightly chalky. But the chalk grittiness is clearly from the hops, and does not detract from the overall enjoyment of this beer. A little more malt richness for balance would help. But that might jack the ABV and take it out of the "session" arena. Nice to have another drinkable IPA but at a lower ABV from this great little nano.

Overall Impression: Love this beer. This was a perfect hoppy American Pale Ale for me. I really have huge respect for what Mike is brewing at Relic. It’s different, not Dogfish different. yet different enough from even what most craft brewers are doing to stand out. The yeasty bready sugary yummy-ness is perfectly balanced with the bright zesty hops.

A cloudy golden amber color with a beautiful white foam on top and respectable lacing. The aroma is a unique avocado floral asparagus. Funky for sure but not off-putting, just gives one pause and peaks one’s interest. The flavor stays in line with the aroma but is bolstered by a fair lemon sweetness. This is one of those vegetable IPA’s but it’s one that works, in my estimation. It’s medium-light bodied with a near glassy feel and subtle carbonation. I pick up a hint of mustiness, akin to swampiness. Not sure evryone will love this but it’s another solid effort from Relic in my book.

Poured from a 64 oz. Growler into a British pint glass. Gold in color. Thick White head fades quickly Leaving a nice lacing. Hazy might be too strong a word.

Smells of citrus hops. Taste is similar with some piney hop character. Bitterness coats the tongue. A little hay on the finish.

Maybe only the second Session IPA I've had. The style lends itself to imbalance of overstated hops to understated malt, which is right down my alley and accurately described Clockwork. . I really enjoyed this beer. Another high quality offering from relic.